The Cheat Sheet

1. By any means necessary at quarterback - It’s all hands on deck at the quarterback position. Will we see J.T. Shrout? Jarrett Guarantano? Will we see Jauan Jennings? The answer might be yes, yes, and yes. Jim Chaney has his hands full today. Where is Guarantano mentally? What is Shrout really capable of doing? How creative can you be? Tennessee is paying Jim Chaney a lot of money. He’s earned it this week preparing for this game and trying to get quarterbacks ready. He’s going to earn it today by finding a way to be effective enough at the quarterback position to have a chance to win.

2. Put in on the South Carolina passing game — The Gamecocks run game was really good against Florida. Transfer Tavien Feaster filled in for the injured Rico Dowdle and the ground game didn’t miss a beat. South Carolina rushed for 217 yards. Tennessee’s defense has been better against the run the last couple of weeks. They will have to be good Saturday afternoon if they are going to win game #3. Ryan Hilinski is a great story in college football. He is however still a freshman and has had freshman moments. Tennessee must get the down and distance in their favor to put the game on Hilinski’s shoulders. That’s why stopping the run is vital.

3. Play cleaner — There is no question that the officiating in Tuscaloosa was poor and did the Vols zero favors. Tennessee was flagged 18 times, with 13 of them accepted. There’s no question that a good number of them were not Tennessee’s fault but some were. Tennessee needs to clean up the false start penalties. And they must play cleaner. Jim Chaney has gotten guys open all season and too many of them have been missed. The Vols must clean up the self inflicted mistakes from penalties to mental busts to just physical misses. No one plays perfect, but this team needs to help themselves more.

4. Run the football — Tennessee’s ground game is growing. It must continue to grow particularly with the uncertainty at quarterback. The Vols will have to run against a loaded box. The offensive line must continue to improve and play with continued physicality. Tim Jordan must keep falling forward along with Ty Chandler. Florida rushed for 154 yards, but that’s a bit misleading as one run was 75 yards on a play with a clear offensive hold and false start. Against Georgia, the Bulldogs rushed for 173 yards. Tennessee has rushed for 330 yards the last two weeks. That must continue Saturday afternoon.